Hello everyone,
I just got a Sennheiser e835 mic and I was wondering which amp should I go for.
There are no good instrument stores in my are to try them. So I take suggestions, what have you guys got?
I thought of an Orange Crush 12 but I can change my mind.
Ciao
Stefano 
Stay away from solid state amps. Look for lower wattage and tubes. I play through a Kalamazoo or a Baseman. Depends on the room. Hope this helps.
Hey David, to add on to this conversation, I am getting a Blues Junior 15w tube amp from Fender mainly for guitar. Would this be a good amp for harp as well?
Yes sir! I like those a lot. Good power and size.
I use a Fender Champion 20, unmodded. I only use it for practice, but it pisses off so many people that I use it instead of an expensive tube amp. I’m not the richest person on the planet, I grew up with financial troubles for years long before my mom divorced and met my stepdad. I honestly don’t understand why so many harmonica players hate solid state amps other than “the old guys didn’t use them” or the thing about harmonica players blindly hating on what they don’t understand.
I Definitely understand that a solid state amp is basically a computer that gives an interpretation of the incoming signal and then reproduces it louder. A tube amp doesn’t do that. More of the original sound of the harmonica is replicated. Not hate on anything. I think you might be too sensitive and are misinterpreting some kind of hostility. This is not the case.
Too sensitive? I’m CLEARLY NOT! Most people who come up to me to complain about something I do is ALWAYS because they’re too closed minded to understand. The one guy who thought the Hohner Rocket was made in China when it is marked as made in Germany, the person who complained that I didn’t sound like Little Walter when I was playing a Terry McMillan song, and even when I ask a question, it’s always about THEIR preferences on what they want me to be like.
Everyone is welcome to their opinion. I’m not hate’n. Nor do I ask anyone to conform to my tastes or opinions, if solid state works for you cool! I can definitely hear a difference between a solid state amp and a tube amp. That’s the only important thing here.
Small tube amps are not easy to find in Europe except the Stage 5 rebranded Harley Benton or they are too expensive.
This is the reason why my choice went for a British designed amp with analog circuitry.
I didn’t mean to start a flame 
Ciao
Stefano
Depends a lot on your budget.
If you don’t have a lot, a valve (tube) amp isn’t essential. They’re nice and have a much more tactile and organic response and if your budget does stretch, then yeah, get a nice low watt valve amp. Folks get very “the mystic of the tubes” about them,but your audience won’t know or care as long as you can play.
In terms of solid state, there’s transistors instead of valves doing the same job in the amplification and there’s some really bad ones about (deffo in the 90s), but there’s plenty that are just fine and would do a job. The main thing they struggle with is the start of overdrive “breakup” sounds where a valve amp just becomes alive. This is the Orange crush type amp.
Then you get digital modelling, which is a solid state amp with an effects processor on the front that promises to sound like a million more expensive amps, but never really do.
Depends on where you’re at but an Orange Crush 12 would do the job, but you might get sick of it’s limitations.
I’ve got an old Epiphone Valve Jr which I love but is too loud for my small flat and a Nux Mitie lite 3 which is a tiny battery operated practice amp and is fine in an “it is what is” way (i had some very realistic expectations).
The amp should be determined by where you’re going to use it. Even a tiny amp can be excessively loud in a small room. But you probably won’t be able to turn the amp up too much, as you will get feedback - almost a certainty with an amp built for guitar. If you want to gig, most venues will provide a PA channel, which you can plug your mic straight into (or use a DI box for impedance matching). My main amp (HarpGear 35) doesn’t get use much these days as I use a Digitech RP350 pedal (with Richard Hunter patches designed for harp) into the PA for most venues. But a small amp can always be mic’ed if the venue requires more grunt, so that’ probably the most practical all-round option. I’ve even mic’ed my Orange Micro-Crush (9v battery powered!) when that was all I had.
I will use my amp to practice at home, I’m not ready to play with a band or in a gig yet.
I don’t think digital modeling amps are a good choice especially to start with amplified harmonica. I believe they can be complicated to setup or confusing.
I’ll check the amplifiers you suggested, unfortunately the market in Europe is slightly different from the one in the US.
Ciao
Stefano
After 4 years of bandmaster starting in 1965 it was fender twin. That’s what you hear on all the Siegel-Schwall albums the symphonic albums, solo, and some Chamber Blues and even Chicago Blues Reunion. But about 30 years ago, while on tour with Siegel-Schwall - my sound tech and I decided “no amp” (for a different sound) - still with SM545 Unidyne III hand held that I started with in 1965 - but no amp - straight into the board. But you may want to consider first and foremost the sound you want before you decide on the amp. I love the blues sound, but I wanted to offer something different and I wasn’t a tongue-blocker. If you want that blues sound ask those guys. But decide on sound first - then choose amp. 
Right?
Ps I still have that fender and an EP Booster that Howard Levy told me about and I used it for awhile. It was pretty good but too distorted and too compressed for me.
The harmonica blues sound is great, I just don’t like it to be unnatural and too emphasized, because of amplification.
I prefer the clean sound coming from a vocal mic that can become dirty with the right amp (British maybe).
Cupping is the right way to go. Bullet mics are too distorted and compressed to me. Just my taste, I got a lot to learn still.
What do you mean by no-amp?
Ciao
Stefano
I stopped carrying an amplifier around or using an amplifier about 30 years ago and when I practice or rehearse, I just play the harmonica without any amplification and when I perform, I have a handheld mic that goes straight to the board no distortion. I also don’t use a monitor. And my handheld is a very natural amplified sound. I.e. it sounds like a harmonica close up. But I still love all the other kinds of sounds players make, including the blues distorted sound with amp and mic combinations, which I think is amazing. I.e. Little Walter and all those that followed. Corky
Handheld mic that goes straight to the board? What do you mean by that?
Stefano
Plugging in a venues PA system directly (via the sound engineer’s control board) rather than having your own instrument amp.
If you’re wanting a clean sound, solid state amps do that better than they do overdrive sounds.
If you’re in europe the Thomann harley benton 5w amp might be worth a look
but then again, it’s a bit more expensive than the orange crush
Is alibaba available where you are. They sell 5 watt fender prinston copies. 3 tubes , simple circuit, easy to mod. For 200 bucks. I have a dozen amps. Mostly old danelectro and valco. The 5f2a is my go to. They want to sell several at once but if you find their website they have one for 200 even that you only have to buy one of. You will thank me.
this is the 2nd time ive posted about this amp. Thats it, ill stop…
